Battery grid plate pasting machine



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Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT osmos- 2,680,547- v BATTERY cam PLATE PASTING MACHINE George A. Donatli, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 5, 1948, Serial No. 19,01!

4 Claims. (Cl. 226-395) This invention relates to machines for making storage battery plates, and more particularly to machines for placingelectro-chemically active material in paste form on the lead grids which constitute the frames of the plates.

In my Patent No. 2,382,367, issued August 14, 1945, I have disclosed a machine of the abovedescribed character, and my present invention embodies certain improvements over the machine disclosed in said patent, and has as an object the provision of a grid pasting machine'of simplified construction and greater efiicie'ncy in operation and maintenance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grid pasting machine that may easily be dismantled and reassembled for purposes of inspection, cleaning, replacement of parts, and repair.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a grid pasting machine which will preform a grid to precise dimensions, apply the paste evenly to the grid, and discharge the-pasted grid through a passage precisely adjustable to permit transit of a. grid of said dimensions with no excess paste adhering thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a grid pasting machine having simplified pasteapplying mechanism capable of applying paste to a precision-formed grid with substantially uniform pressure across the face of the grid so as to obtain uniform packing of the grid interstices.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of my invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said drawings and description, as I may adopt variations of the preferred forms within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a grid: pasting machine embodying the principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, the plane of section being indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2. with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view, lookin upwardly at the paste-impressing mechanism, the plane of section being indicated by the line l4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view, looking downward from approximately the plane of Figure 4, the plane of section being more precisely indicated by the line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, compound sectional view on a further enlarged scale from the right, or feeding, end of the machine, the plane of section being indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view, also from the right, through preparatory press rollers at the feeding end ofthe machine, the plane of section being indicated by the line of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view through conveying rollers subsequent in operation to the press rollers, the plane of section being indicated by the. line 88 of Figure 3, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view through pasting rollers subsequent in operation to the aforesaid conveying rollers, the plane of section being indicated by the line 99 of Figure 3, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view through the aforesaid pasting rollers, taken at a right angle to the view of Figure 9, the plane of section being indicated by the line Ill-l0 of Figure 4.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, with parts shown advanced in operation.

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view through the aforesaid press rollers, taken at a right angle to the view of Figure 7 and on the line |2|2 thereof.

Figure 13 is another vertical sectional view through the press rollers, the plane of section being indicated by the line l3-l3 of Figure 7,

with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 14 is a vertical sectional view through hinge mechanism of the paste'hopper, taken on the line l4l4 of Figure 1, with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 15 is a horizontal sectional view from below of a modified form of pasting roller, the viewpoint being similar to Figure 4, but the figure being on the scale of Figures 6 to 14.

Figure 16 is a vertical sectional view of the modification shown in Figure 15, the plane of section being indicated by the line Iii-l6 of Figure 15.

Figure 17 is a vertical sectional view taken at a right angle to, and on the line lI-Il of Figure 16.

Having reference to the details of the drawings, I have shown in Figure 1 a stack of grids 20 stacked on a table 2| on the rearward end of the machine frame 22 preparatory to being fed automatically one at a time through the machine. In

. 3 I the course of their passage through the machine, the grids are successively roller-ironed to remove irregularities of casting, conveyed beneath a hopper 23 containing paste which is to be applied to the grid, filled with paste by a, mechanism at and below the outlet of the hopper, and discharged onto a conveyor 24 in a manner eliminating excess paste from the grid surfaces and preserving the smoothness of the surfaces as prepared by the preceding mechanism.

As shown in Figure2, a grid 20 comprises a substantially oblong plate having reticulated end portions 25 divided by a central bar 26, and having 2. lug 21 extending from each end. Such grids are formed from lead by a casting process which may produce uneven thicknesses or leave small surface irregularities, resulting either in rejected grids, or difficulty in feeding grids through the pasting machine, or at least irregularly surfaced finished plates. Due to the softness of the lead and to the thin reticulated construction, there is also a tendency for the grids to warp and buckle if subjected to rough handling or locally applied stresses.

As a step preparatory to pasting, the grids 26 are individually fed through press rollers 29 and 30, to be more fully described later, by a pitman driven push-bar 3|. The grids are stacked on the table 2| in a frame formed by an upright retaining plate 32 secured to the bearing housings 33 of the press rollers 28 and 30, by bolts 34, and side guides 35 secured adjustably to the retaining plate 32 by bolts 36 in slots 31 so as to accommodate grids of varying widths. The lower edge of the retaining plate 32 is raised above the table 2| to provide a slot 38 (see Figure 6) through which one grid may pass at a time, the major portion of the slot 38 being slightly more than adequate in height for such passage to allow for surface irregularities of the grid and the lower margin of the retaining plate 32 having a narrow rail 39 extending downwardly into the slot 38 to a depth just permitting one grid to pass while preventing simultaneous passage of a second grid. The push-bar 3i is held clamped at its ends between slide rails 40 and 4|, which slide respectively on the upper surface and lateral margins of the table 2| and are clamped together by bolts 44 and are spaced vertically therefrom by longitudinal side bars 45 and washers 46 (Figures 1 and 3). A crossbar 41 is secured to the underside of the plate 43 between the side bars 45 by screws 48 and acts as the upper guide for the push-bar 3!. The plate 43 and crossbar 41 also form the rearward margin of the frame or well in which the grids 20 are stacked and prevent the grids from being pulled rearwardly by friction of the rearward motion of the push-bar 3|. It will be seen that the push-bar 3! has freedom of forward and rearward motion between the bolts 44, and that the clearance of the crossbar 41 above the table 2! maybe readily altered to accommodate push-bars of thicknesses suitable for uSe with diiferent thicknesses of grids, by clamping the washers .46.

The push-bar 31 is driven by pitmans connected to wrist pins 52 outstanding laterally from the slide rails 4i and to crank wheels 53 mounted on the ends of the shaft 54 of the lower press roller 30. The press rollers 29 and 30, as shown in detail in Figures '7 and 12, have their shafts 55 and 54 journalled respectively in bearings 56 and 51 contained in the bearing housings 33.

,The bearings 51 of the lower press roller 30 are fixedly supported in the bearing housings 33, so

as to maintain. the upper surface of the press roller 30 at substantially the elevation of the upper surface of the table 2|, while the bearings 56 of the upper press roller 29'are vertically adjustable by means of studs 58 pressing the bearings 56 downwardly against the resistance of quired to adjust for differences in grid thickness.

To receive and guide the grids 20 as they leave the press rollers 29 and 30, guide plates 62 and 63, shown in Figures 12 and 13, are secured to a transverse support bar 64 which in turn is secured to the bearing housing 33. The lower guide plate 62 is suspended from the support bar 64 by brackets 66 to which the plate maybe secured by screws 66. and the brackets may be secured to the support bar by bolts 61, the brackets being spaced apart and adjacent to the ends of the support bar to permit passage of a grid between them. The upper guide plates 63 are preferably dual and spaced apart as shown in plan in Figure 2, being of suflicient width to guide the lateral margins of grids of various dimensions and yet not completely covering the transient grid but affording accessibility thereto. The lower guide plate 62 is disposed at an elevation such that its upper surface is in the plane of the upper surface of the table 2 i, the adjacent margins of the plate 62 and of the table being spaced to permit the lower press roll 30 to extend therebetween to the same level. The upper guide plates 63' are suspended from the support bar 64 by brackets 68 vertically adjustable in keyways 69 and secured therein by bolts I0. The guide plates 63 may, therefore, like the upper press roller 29 to which they are substantially contiguous, be adjusted to accommodate grids of various thicknesses.

The press rollers 29 and 30 also act as conveyor rollers to receive the grids 26 as fed thereto by the push-bar 3i and to advance the grids towards the pasting mechanism below the hop-- per 23. In continuation of the linear path formed by the press rollers and by the guide plates 62 and 63, plates 12 and I3 are secured respectively to a housing block 'H mounted between side members of the frame 22, and to the lower margin of the hopper 23, as by screws 14 and 15. The lower plate 12, as shown in Figure 5, extends into substantial contiguity with the lower guide plate 62 so as to form therewith a continuous support for a grid. The upper plate '13, illustrated in Figure 4, may be spaced from the upper guide plate 63 to leave a gap through which the progress of the grids may be observed. To convey the grids between the plates 72 and 13, upper and lower conveyor roller 16 and H ar provided, having knurled ridges l8 extending through slots 19 and in the plates 13 and 12, respectively, so as to be substantially flush with the adjacently opposed surfaces of the plates and to grip each successive grid and move it onward. The ridges 18 are spaced to grip the lateralrnargins and central bar 26 of each grid, these being the portions least susceptible to crushing.

The upper conveyor roller 16 (see Figure 8) is journalled in journal boxes 82 secured by bolts 83' to a hereinafter described removable portion of the hopper 23. The lower conveyor roller I1 is journalled in journal boxes 84 mounted in pivot arms 85 which are pivoted on pivot pins 86 held in brackets 81 secured to the housin block II. Springs 88, held in sockets 89 formed in the brackets 81, urge the pivot arms 85, and consequently the lower conveyor roller 11, upwardly, and are adjustable in tension by set screws 80 \Figure 1). Cooperating gears 9I which, like the gears BI have teeth of depth sufficient to mesh over a moderate range of radial relative movement, drive the lower conveyor roller 11 from the upper roller I6.

The hopper 23 is pivotally mounted so as to be tiltable to the positionshown in broken lines at 23a in Figure l, movement of the hopper to its upright position being assisted by a pneumatic cylinder 93 controlled through an air hose 94. One side of the hopper 23 issupported by bearing lugs 95 upon a fixed shaft 96, as illustrated in detail in Figure 14. The shaft 96 is held in brackets 91 by set screws 98. the brackets being spaced from the bearing lugs 95 by collars 99. The brackets 91 are provided with shafts I99 slidably held in the upper portion of a double collar I9I secured to the frame 22 and are adjustable vertically by nuts I92 on threaded extensions I03 of --the shafts I00 engaging the lower portion of the double collar I9I. The opposite side of the hopper 23 isalso normally supported and may be secured in normal upright position by an arm I94 resting upon the transverse support bar 64. A stud bolt I95 in the support bar 64 has a threaded end extending upwardly thereabove so as to be able to pass through an opening I08 in the arm I04 and be engaged by a knurled nut IN to lock the hopper 23 in normal upright position. Set screws I99 in the arm I94 bear upon the support bar 64 and by coordination of their adjustment with the adjustment of the shafts I00, the hopper may be adjusted vertically and yet maintained so that the plate I3 which is attached to it is parallel to the plate I2 attached to the housing block I I.

Such paralellism, as will be seen, is important to the proper operation of the machine, and so, also, is the adjustability of the spacing of the plates in precise and close relation to the rolled thickness of the grids and as a continuation of the path formed by the press rollers 29 and 39, the guide plates 92 and 63, and the conveyor rollers I8 and 11. It will be apparent that as both the upper conveyor roller I6 and the upper plate I3 are secured to the hopper 23, their relationship to each other is fixed, and adjustment of the hopper adjusts them both as path-defining members. spring-biased, will adjust itself to the path of the grids.

As a control to the degree to which the hopper 23 may be tilted, a cross bar H9 is mounted between lugs III extending forwardly from the brackets 91, and a pawl II2 having a notch I I3 is pivotally secured to one side of the hopper (Fi ures 1 and 2). When the hopper is in normal upright position, the end of the pawl II2 rests slidably upon the cross bar II9. When the hopper is tilted forwardly, the notchI I3 engages the cross bar I I9,- limiting the tilt of the hopper to a degree at which it is not burdensomely overbalanced forwardly.

As shown generally in Figure 3, and in greater detail in Figures and 11, the lower portion of the hopper 23 has a transverse discharge throat The lower conveyor roller 11, being H4 of substantially semi-cylindrical form in which is mounted a pasting roller I I5. The pasting roller H5 is mounted slidably upon a shaft II6 held in bearings Ill and la in the side members of the hopper 23 and has atone end a keyway H8 in which to receive a key II9 held transversely of the shaft 6-, so that the pasting roller may be slid on and off the shaft and secured rotatively with the shaft by engagement with the key. To permit sliding the pasting roller II5 upon the shaft IIG, one side member I20 0f the hopper 23 is secured to the hopper by bolts I'll (see Figure 2) and when removed from the hopper it carries with it its respective bearing Ill, permitting removal of the pasting roller and leaving the shaft IIB held in the opposite bearing Illa. When in assembled position, the pasting roller is restrained from end play by the side member I20, thereby being held in engagement with the key I I9.

The pasting roller I I5 has a plurality of axiallyspaced circumferential grooves I24 separated by knurled lands I25, and the upper plate I3 has a pair of transverse slots I28 into which the lands I25 extend, one of the grooves I24 being centrally disposed on the roller II5 to receive a bridge I2I between the slots I28, this bridge overlying the central bars 26 of grids in transit beneath the plate I3. The knurled lands I25 and grooves I24 are for the purpose of transporting paste from the hopper 23 to be applied through the slots I28 to the grids 29. A smooth surfaced roller I28 positioned directly below the roller I I5 has a pair of wide circumferential lands I29 which extend upwardly into slots I39 in the lower plate I2 to apply paste forced through the grids 29 to the under sides thereof. The rollers H5 and I28 are so relatively spaced that the lands I25 and I29 come into close proximity with, but do not press upon the grids 29 moving between the plates I2 and I3.

The roller I28 is enclosed in a chamber I32 in the housing block II which closely encircles the roller exceptat an opening I33 aligned with the slots I39. After a period of operation paste will fill the chamber I32 but can not escape therefrom. The roller I28 is keyed to a shaft I34, in the same manner as the roller H5 is keyed to the shaft IIB, and the shaft I34 has one end journalled in a bearing I35 in a journal box I36 re-' movably secured to the housing block II, and its other end journalled in a bearing I351! fixed in the housing block II so that by removal of the journal box I36, the roller I28 may be removed from the shaft I34, and the roller and the chamber I32 may be cleaned of paste, the shaft I34 then remaining in place in the bearing I35a. The shafts H6 and I34 are operatively connected by gears I31 and I38 mounted on the portions of the shafts extending outwardly from the fixed bearings la and I35a. The gears I31 and I38, like the gears 9I of the conveyor rollers, have teeth of sufficient depth to mesh over a moderate range of radial relative movement. Both the gears 9| and the gears I3I and I38 are in mesh only when the hopper 23 is in its normal upright operating position.

To feed paste from the hopper 23 to the asting roller II5, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, a feed roller I39, preferably knurled, is mounted in the hopper 23 parallel to and closely approaching the roller H5 and driven in opposite rotative direction by a gear I49 meshing with the gear I3'I.

To agitate the paste in the hopper 23 and to feed the paste between the rollers H5 and I39,

a paddle I is mounted transversely of the hopper adjacent to the roller H and is driven by a gear I42 in mesh with the gear I31. The paddle I also agitates a plate I43 secured by hinges I44 to a wall of the hopper 23 and forming a false interior wall thereof, so as to work paste constantly towards the passage between the rollers H5 and I39 where the, paste will be forced into the grooves I24 and into the knurled surfaces of the lands I25. The roller I38 and paddle I4I are mounted in the same manneras the roller II5, being keyed to shafts I45 and I45, respectively, each of which has one end journalled in bearings in the removable side member I20 of the hopper 23 and the other end Journalled in bearings in the opposite side member of the hopper.

To insure that paste in the grooves I24 is dislodged therefrom onto the grids and does not thereby continue to rotate with the pasting roller I I5, a plurality of fingers I41 are mounted in the end wall of the hopper 23, extending through individual slots I48 therethrough into the throat I I4 and thence into the grooves I24. A plate I48a,

secured to the base of the hopper 23, retains the fingers'I41 in the slot I48. The fingers I41 are preferably secured, as by welding, to a transverse bar I49, which may be adiustedby bolts I50 against the compression of springs I5l to bring the fingers I41 into deeper or shallower entry into the grooves I24. The throat H4 is not truly cylindrical or concentric with the pasting roller I I5 but is offset therefrom to leave a space I52 on that side of the roller which rotates upwardly away from the grids. The fingers I41 tend to clear the paste from the grooves I24 and partly to block the space I52, placing a pressure upon the paste in the slots I26 to cause better infiltration of the paste into the grids but nevertheless permitting excess paste to escape upwardly between the fingers into the hopper. By reason of the hitherto-described vertical adjustability of the hopper 23 and the attached upper plate 13, the passage between the plates 13 and 12 may be, and preferably is, restricted to a height just permitting movement therethrough of a; grid with no excess of paste on its upper and lower surfaces; but to allow a minimum clearance and to prevent escape of any excess paste, the upper plate 13 is provided with a marginal wiper blade I53 which may be a thin strip of resilient material in extension of the lower surface of the plate 13 and biased to bear against the upper surface of a grid. Both the downward pressure of the paste applied by the pasting roller H5 and the pressure of the blade I53 will tend to force a grid against the lower plate 12 and prevent escape of excess pasteon tlie lower surface of a grid.

As the grids 20 emerge from between the plates 12 and 13, their lugs 21 are engaged by conveyor chains I55 which thereby support the leading edges of each successive grid. The chains I55 are spaced apart so as not to engage or support the body of a grid between the lugs 21, and consequently the trailing edge of each grid tends to fall between the chains I55, A downwardly inclined ramp or bar I56 is disposed beyond and below the lower plate 12 to support the trailing edge of each grid as it leaves the plate 12. The trailing edges of the grids are thus lowered gradually until the grids are vertically suspended from the chains I 55 by their lugs 21 and swinging relation as the plates 63 and 62.

The machine is so designed that all parts, in-

by a single motor I80. The motor I60 is provided with a double chain sprocket I6I, from one sprocket of which the conveyor chains I55 are driven by power chains I62 and I63 acting on speed-reducing double sprockets I84 and I65. From the other -sprocket of the double sprocket I6I, a power chain I66 drives a sprocket I61 on the end of the shaft I34 of the roller I28. The shaft I34 drives the shaft I I6 of the pasting roller II5 through the gears I38 and I31, the direction of rotation of adiacent surfaces of the rollers H5 and I28 being in the direction of movement of a grid passing between the rollers. The gear I31 also drives the feed roller I38 and the paddle I by meshing with the gears I40 and I42. A sprocket I68 on the shaft H8 is connected by a chain I88 to a sprocket I10 on the upper conveyor roller 16. It will be recalled that the roller 15 drives the lower conveyor roller 11 through the gears SI, and it will be seen that the conveyor rollers and the rollers mounted in the hopper 23 for feeding and applying paste are all immobilized when the hopper is tilted so as to unmesh the gears I31 and I38. The press rollers 28 and 30-may, however, continue to be run, as would be desirable in adjusting them to press grids to micrometric tolerances, without having to convey the grids through the pasting mechanism. A second sprocket I1I on the shaft I34 is connected by a chain I12 to a sprocket I13 on the shaft 54 of the lower press roller 30. The shaft 54 drives the upper press roller 28 through the gears 6| and causes reciprocation of the pushbar 3i by means of the crank wheels 53' and pitmans 5I.

In the operation of the machine, the press roller 29 is vertically adjusted by the studs 58 to roll the soft lead grids 20 to very exact thicknesses and smoothness, which may be within tolerances of the magnitude of one or two thousandths of an inch. The upper guide plates 63 are likewise vertically adjusted by means of the brackets 68 and bolts 10 to afiord a pathway between the plates 63 and the lower guide plate 62 through which the precision-rolled grids may just pass freely. The hopper 23 is adjusted vertically by the nuts I02 and the set screwsi08 so that the plate 13 is parallel with the plate 12 and spaced therefrom in approximately the same In these conditions, the upper conveyor roller 16 will bear upon the upper surface of a grid and the lower conveyor roller 11 will yield, because of the spring 88, to permit the grid to pass between the rollers.

The pasting roller II 5 and its opposite lower roller I28 will approximately touch the upper and lower surfaces of a grid, but without pressure, and the clearance between the plates 12 and 13 beyond the rollers H5 and I28 will permit only a micrometric layer of paste to remain upon the grid surface. This clearance is reduced by the resilient wiper blade I53 which causes the surface coatings of paste to be pressed firmly into the interstices of the grids.

Reciprocation of the push-bar 3I causes the lowest grid in a stack of grids to be pushed under the retaining plate 32 and into the press rollers 28 and 30 which press and smooth the grid and pass it onwardly to a position between the press rollers and the conveyor rollers where it will pause momentarily. A second cycle of reciprocation of the push-bar will move the next grid from the bottom of the stack into the press rollers and this'second grid will then push the first gridinto the grip of the conveyor rollers 18 and 11. Thesprocket ratio on the driving mechanisms of the conveyor rollers and the press rollers is such that the conveyor rollers have a slightly greater peripheral speed than the press rollers and consequently advance the first grid out of contact with the second grid and move it between the rollers II! and I28.

' These last-mentioned rollers have considerably greater peripheral speed than the conveyor rollers, but as they do not press upon the grid, they do not advance the grid but instead they force paste into the interstices of the grid with a wiping action. It will be recalled that the paste is under some pressure, due to being forced from the grooves I24 by the fingers I41, and this pressure and the wiping action of the rollers are supplementary in forcing the paste into the grids. Even'after the first grid has been advanced by the conveyor rollers so as to be clear thereof. it is not conveyed further by the rollers H and I28, but remains momentarily'between them until the second grid again overtakes it and pushes it onward. This second push by the following grid advances the first grid to a position in which its lugs 21 engage the conveyor chains I65 and it is then moved onward out of contact with the following grid. As the peripheral speed of the rollers I I5 and I28 always exceeds the speed at which a grid is advanced between them, they wipe paste into and upon a grid throughout the length of the grid, and as there is no spacing between a. preceding grid and the following pushing grid within the pasting mechanism, there is no opportunity while the procession of grids continues for the space between the plates I2 and I3 to become clogged by plaste. In this manner, a succession of grids are fed from a stack on the table 2I through the pressing and pasting mechanisms to the outgoing conveyor system and are rolled to precision thickness and evenly coated and filled with paste without wastage.

In Figures 15 to 17, I have illustrated a. modified form of pastingimechanism. A pasting roller I80 is mounted in the hopper 23 in the same manner as the pasting roller I I5. previously described, and has a plurality of axially spaced circumferential grooves I8I separated by lands I82 which extend into individual slots I83 in a modified upper plate I84. The hopper 23 is substantially the same as heretofore described except that no provision is made for mounting fingers I41 which are omitted from this modification, and it contains a feed roller I39 and paddle MI and supports an upper conveyor roller I8 and provides a space I52 adjacent the'upwardly moving side of the roller I80. Likewise, a lower roller I28 is mounted in a chamber I32 in the housing block II and extends upwardly into slots I30 in a lower plate 12.

The lands I82 of the roller I'80 are preferably not knurled, but are provided with transverse grooves I85, relatively shallow as compared with the circumferential grooves I 8| but sufiiciently deep to contain a quantity of paste fed thereto by the feed roller I39 and'to permita fiow of paste from one circumferential groove to another so as to equalize pressure across the face of the roller. As may be seen in Figure 15, the. individual slots I83 which receive the lands I82 are wider at their ends which the lands rotatively enter than at their opposite ends from which the lands rotatively depart, and the intervening bridges I86 are consequently narrower bridges.

and then wider in the. direction of movement of the roller and of a. grid moving past the roller, the change in width occurring at the middle points of the slots I83 where the lands I82 most deeply enter the slots. The plate I84 preferably has a thin marginal portion I81 forming a recess I88 in which a resilient wiper blade I88 is held by screws I80.

In this modified form. of. pasting mechanism, the grooves I3I and I8! carry paste from the hopper 23 to the slots I33, there to apply it to a grid moving or temporarily halted between the plates I84 and 12. The narrow portions of the bridges I88 first enter the grooves III, forcing the paste therein outwardly on both sides of the bridges and into the grooves I and onto the faces of the lands I82 and the lower surfaces of the These faces and surfaces either approach or are in approximate contact with the transient grid and so force the paste into the grid interstices. As a given point in a groove I8I approaches the grid, the forcing action upon the paste in the groove is intensified by deeper penetration of the bridge into the groove and at the instant of closest approach, the action is further intensified by the widening of the bridge. The quantity of paste thus forced from the grooves I8I constitutes an excess over the quantity which a grid may receive in its interstices and carry away between the plates I84 and I2, and the excess paste seeks outlets through the network of grooves I8I and I85. The bridges I86 do not completely fill the grooves I 8| but leave open passages at the bottoms of the grooves, as indicated at I9I in Figure 17, through which excess paste may escape to the ascending side of the roller I-80 and the space I52. but in the process of escape the pressure is substantially equalized across the face of the roller and a very efificient and uniform filling and smearing of the grid is effected.

Either of the above-described pasting mechamsms is adapted to precise adjustment for a desired thickness of grid, as in each instance the 13 or I84, and the upper conveyor roller 16 are in fixed relationship to each other at substan-- tially uniform distance from the lower plate I2. The hopper may therefore be adjusted to obtain a precise desired spacing of the upper and lower plates which may be conveniently measured by micrometric guages at the entering and discharge ends of the passage formed by the plates; and the press roller 29 may then be adjusted to press a grid to a thickness which will just pass through such a passage, the upper guide plate 63 being likewise adjusted. As a matter of operational convenience, it is usually more efiicient to adjust the upper guide plate 63 to a desired clearance above the lower guide plate 62, as such clearance may also be conveniently measured; then to adjust the press roller 29 to roll a grid to a thickness just passable between the plates 62 and 63, these adjustments being made with the hopper tilted and the pasting mechanism immobilized; and then to adjust the hopper to permit a precisely rolled grid just to pass through the pasting mechanism.

All parts of the machine which are apt to become smeared with paste are easily accessible for cleaning. By removing the side member I20 of the hopper 23, the pasting rollers H5 or I80, the feed roller I39, paddle HI, and upper conveyor roller I6 may be removed, the hopper itself being then readily accessible. By removing one of the 11 pivot arms "(the lower conveyor roller 11 may be removed, and by removing the-journal box I", the lower roller 128 may be removed from the chamber I32. These operations maybe performed without disturbing the system of driving chains and sprockets mounted on the other side of the machine. By tilting the hopper 23, the plates 13 or I84, and I2 become accessible on their .adJace'nt surfaces, and they may be removed to further open the throat I. and chamber I32 by the removal of screws 14 and I5.

I claim:

1. In a grid pasting machine having a frame, a hopper for supplying paste mounted on said frame so as to leave a passage therebetween, said hopper having a discharge throat open to said passage, and means for conveying grids through said passage, pasting mechanism comprising a roller mounted in said throat for conveying paste from said hopper to said grids, and having circumferential grooves and lands and having relatively shallow transverse grooves on said lands communicating between said circumferential grooves, and a member forming a partial closure to said throat and having a flat surface defining one side of a path for said grids, and having apertures individual to each of said lands into which said'lands extend so as to be substantially tangent to the path-defining surface of said member, and bridges separating said apertures extending into said circumferential grooves and having narrow portions underlying the approaching portion of said roller and wider portions underlying the departing portion of. said roller so as to force increasing quantities of paste from said circumferential grooves to said lands and said transverse grooves for distribution upon a grid.

2. In a grid pasting machine, means for supporting grids during movement thereof through said machine, a hopper for paste to be applied to grids moving therepast, means for adjusting said hopper in spaced relation to said grid-supporting means, a revolubly mounted pasting.

roller carried by said hopper having circumferential grooves and lands, means for rotating said roller, means for moving grids successively past said pasting roller to receive paste therefrom, means mounted upon said hopper for defining a path for said grids and having aperture means into which said pasting roller extends, and means for forcing paste from said pasting rollers grooves onto a grid comprising a plurality of fingers slidably mounted on said hopper, each of said fingers extending into one of said pasting rollers circumferential grooves, and means for adjusting said fingers to vary the depth of penetration thereof into said grooves.

3. In a grid pasting machine, means forsupporting grids during movement thereof through said machine, a hopper for paste to be applied to grids moving therepast, means for adjusting said hopper in spaced relation to said grid-supporting means, a revolubly mounted pasting roller carried by said hopper having circumferential grooves and lands, means for erotating said roller, means for moving grids successively past said pasting roller to receive paste therefrom, means mounted upon said hopper for defining a path for said grids and having aperture means into which said pasting roller extends, said aperture means being individual to said lands with a portion of each of said lands extending into the associated one of said apertures, and means for forcing paste from said pasting rollers grooves onto a grid comprising a bridge interposed between each two adjacent ones of said aperture means and thereby being disposed within one of said pasting rollers circumferential grooves, said bridges having narrow portions proximal to the portion of said pasting roller approaching a grid and wider portions proximal to the portion of said pasting roller departing from said grid.

4. In a grid pasting machine, means for supporting grids during movement thereof through said machine, a hopper for paste to be applied to grids moving therepast, means for adjusting said hopper in spaced relation to said grid-supporting means, a revolubly mounted pasting roller carried by said hopper having circumferential grooves and lands, means for rotating said roller, means for moving grids successively past said pasting roller to receive paste therefrom, means mounted upon said hopper for defining a path for said grids and having aperture means into which said pasting roller extends, said aperture means being individual to said lands with a portion of each of said lands extending into the associated one of said apertures, and means for forcing paste from said pasting rollers grooves onto a grid comprising a bridge interposed between each two adlacent ones of said aperture means and thereby being disposed within one of said pasting rollers circumferential grooves, said bridges having narrow portions proximal to the portion of said pasting roller approaching a grid and wider portions proximal to the portion of said pasting roller departing from said grid, each of said bridges being so spaced from the bottom of its'associated groove ,as to permit some paste to remain therebetween, and said lands having relatively shallow transverse grooves establishing communication between adjacent ones of said circumferential pressure for equalizing paste pressure at points axially spaced on said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,398,790 Ogur Nov. 29, 1921 1,518,226 Shepherd Dec. 9, 1924 1,651,678 Davis Dec.-6, 192'! 1,757,546 Price et al May 6, 1930 1,975,039 Goodrich et al Sept. 25, 1934 2,212,070 Luhrman Aug. 20, 1940 2,382,367 Donath Aug. 14, 1945 

